Parts: Everything in its Place
by t.j.guard
Summary: At a drag race, Ice runs into a tuner asking for Axle. The tuner will hardly say why, with good reason.
1. Chapter 1

Parts: Everything in its Place

Disclaimer: I don't own Cars.  
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Chapter One

Finn gave the mission files one final once-over before turning the computer off and turning to face the rest of Siddeley's empty cabin. He hadn't gotten word from headquarters, and Holley was off to see Mater, leaving him with nothing to do but wait.

Well, he could talk to Siddeley, but even though they were good friends, professionally and personally, the plane, in Finn's opinion, wasn't much on engaging conversation about anything other than current events, something Finn certainly didn't want to talk about right then.

He drove out of Siddeley and down Route Sixty-Six to a thriving, tourist-filled Radiator Springs. At the V8 diner, he spotted a familiar blue muscle car. "Well, hello," he said.

"Hey, man," Axle replied.

"How are you?"

"Pretty good, you?"

"About the same. It's a waiting game right now." Axle chuckled. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life in Los Angeles."

"No problem. It was more of a matter of what my brother Torque would've wanted, though."

"I can respect that."

"Any word from your tuner friends? I heard they're on the right side of the law now."

"You could say that. I just got here, and while I haven't heard from them personally, but I recieved a delivery confirmation when I sent out what needed to be sent out."

"That's good, right?"

"In this line of work, it's some of the best news I've heard yet."

"Well, I can see that."

"Can I get you boys anythin'?" Flo asked.

"Care for anything?" Axle asked, looking at Finn.

"Nothing for me, thank you," Finn replied.

"We're good, thanks."

"You two enjoy your afternoon," she said, driving off to engage in conversation with other customers.

CARS

Boost glanced at his carefully-selected hiding spot in his cone, where the package postmarked from Britain waited to be opened. The attached envelope said only to open it on Finn McMissile's instruction, or upon recieving word that he was in danger. The Manufacturer only knew when that would be, so he told no one that it even existed.

"Everything okay in here, man?" Wingo asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah," Boost replied. "You up for a few laps up at the butte?" He pressed the button to open the door.

"Hell yeah. C'mon, let's go. I'll get the others." Wingo zipped around the motel, knocking on two more doors. Within minutes, the four tuners were on their way out of town, toward Willie's Butte, and a few minutes later, they were engaged in an impromptu race, laughing and joking like old times.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Alan deCarteran rolled into the office. "Nice of you to join me," the car on the other side of the desk said.

"You called," Alan replied. "Do you have an assignment for me?"

"I do, but first, how did the last go?"

"Easy, but I wasn't expecting quite those results."

"Which results?"

"An attack on a famous racer, for one, and the Delinquents' intervention, for another."

"Would you characterize the mission as a success or a failure?"

"Success. CHROME United States has been destroyed, and you know as well as I that it will be at least a year before it is relocated and rebuilt."

"Good."

"The spies are at large, as are their proteges, however."

"No matter. We'll find them. Which leads me right into your assignment. All you need to do is find their asset."

"What do you want me to do once I find him?"

"Alert me of his location. I'll handle the rest." Alan nodded. "Now, go find yourself an asset." He nodded again and drove out of the office.

CARS

Ice immersed himself in the crowd gathered for a drag race. Crank up against Danny D, who was from somewhere in Oregon and a little new to the circuit. The race wasn't supposed to be above average, but no one knew with newbies and visitors. "Okay, Ice, you can do this," he whispered to himself. "You can enjoy a race without being an over-paranoid freakshow." He took a deep breath and shifted his weight on his tires in an effort to get comfortable. The race wasn't scheduled to begin for another ten minutes, leaving him a little time to be appropriately paranoid.

"Okay, here we go," the announcer said. "Crank, Danny D, start your engines." The two racers revved their engines as if sizing each other up. "On my count. Ready, set...GO!" The racers rushed off down the street.

Almost immediately afterward, word-of-mouth updates, along with announcer commentary, reached Ice's ears. He appreciated this; he had to so as not to draw suspicion to himself. Every so often, he scanned the crowd, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Hey, you seen Axle?" the tuner to his left, a hot pink Saturn model (so far as he could judge) asked.

"I heard he went to Radiator Springs," Ice replied. "Need a repair?"

"You could say that."

"Well, Radiator Springs ain't far, a day or so's drive. You need an escort, I'm free."

"Thanks, man. You got a name?"

"Ice. You?"

"Electro." Ice nodded. Electro seemed much too jumpy for a tuner at a race. Guess I'm not the only one who's nervous, Ice thought. "When's this race get over?"

"'Bout ten minutes, tops."

"Good."

"Itchin' to get out?"

"I gotta get to Axle ASAP."

"You can't ride too hard, especially if you need a repair. You don't wanna strain yourself, or you'll probably make it worse."

"Thanks for the tip, man."

"No prob. Just hang tight, and remember, don't strain yourself."

"Got it."

"Good."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Boost drove out to the diner, where Axle idled alone, sipping on a can of oil. "Hey, man," he said.

"Hey," Axle replied, giving Boost a high tire. Boost rolled into place beside him. "'Sup?"

"Hangin', you?"

"Hangin', too."

"Cool."

"Hear from Ice?"

"Not yet. You?"

"Nope. He gets in touch with me every day, at least once."

"And you haven't heard from him?"

"Not yet."

"The guys and I can go run a search. This road leads to L.A."

"You sure? Guys could be after him that you don't have any business dealing with, and if you and your guys are about to go straight the way I think you are, it's best for you to go in slow."

"That's Torque talkin', ain't it?"

"Yes, it is."

"Heh."

The two cars settled into something of a silence, and Boost scanned the town. His friends were driving into their cones after the day's race up at Willie's Butte. It occurred to him that they had stayed in Radiator Springs longer than he had planned, but the thought passed through his mind before he could act on it in any way. It didn't matter much anymore, anyway. For all he knew, he and his friends were exactly where Finn McMissile and his cohorts wanted him. If that was a bad thing or not was debatable, but he figured McMissile wouldn't endanger him prematurely.

He shook his hood. He was thinking crazy thoughts, and he was probably taking that intro video too literally. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I must be losin' it," he whispered. He looked over at Axle and asked, "Seen a good drag race lately?"

Before Axle could answer, two forms appeared on the horizion, approaching at reasonable speeds. Boost and Axle studied the forms, and it soon became discernable that one of them was a tow truck pulling another car. Mater, Boost thought. The form next to Mater was quickly identifiable as Ice.

"Found that car you were anxious about," Boost said.

"Yep, we have," Axle replied.

"Howdy, fellas," Mater said as he and Ice pulled into town. He pulled the hot pink Saturn he'd been towing into Ramone's body shop, and Ice settled in beside Axle.

"Your friend an electric?" Axle asked. Ice shushed him immediately.

"People are after him. He broke down on the way here. I got him as far as the county line, then Mater showed up," Ice replied.

"A friend from the tuner world, I see. He must be new, because I don't recognize him."

"He's new, and freakin' out. Give him a little space, okay?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, dude."

"Good, now that that's clear, whaddaya recommend?"

CARS

Mater looked around for the fifth time in the last minute, and Holley said, "Alright, Mater, tell me why you're so antsy."

"I'm jus' waitin' for somethin' to jump out at us, is all," Mater replied. "Finn said it himself. Bad guys don't take a vacation."

"True." Holley nodded and looked out over the cliff at the desert below. "You have good taste in places to live."

"Well, thanks."

She looked back at him, a soft smile on her bumper. "I saw you tow in an electric car earlier today."

"He's electric? I didn't know that."

"You couldn't tell?"

"Pretty hard, under the modifications."

She nodded in understanding. "Do you know his name?"

"Not really. That yeller feller called him Electro."

"Ice is here?"

"He the yeller one?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I think he's at Flo's."

"Oh, good."

"You need to talk to him?"

"I can wait."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Mater let out a nervous laugh and drifted back a foot. Holley rolled her eyes, turned, and backed up so that she was at his side.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Holley said goodnight to Mater and waited until she saw him disappear along the path to his shack before driving out to the V8 Cafe. "Some Volkswagens are air-cooled," a yellow car said to her.

"Explains the lack of a radiator," she replied. "How's your friend?"

"He's freakin' out, and he's scared. I could tell that much just lookin' at the guy."

"Think someone's after him?"

"He seems to believe so, since he's trying to get to Axle."

"Must be important, then."

"Must be. Axle's the go-to guy for damn near everything in the tuner underworld. Hey, speaking of which, how're the Delinquents? Hear they're under the wings of some good cars now."

"They are. I'd be careful who you mention that to, because even I know that some tuners are extremely dangerous to those who try to leave."

"I know, but I can trust B.I. I know that."

"My personal rule of tread is trust as few people as possible."

Ice nodded. "Caught up with Axle, so I know Electro'll be able to find him."

"Good."

"So, how's your boyfriend?"

"Charming as ever, though possibly a little nervous about the possibility of another date gone wrong."

He shrugged. "Can't blame him. The first couple of tries were jacked up, so I've been told."

"We took care of that issue."

"I should hope so." He looked around and asked, "Where's Finn?"

"In his bed in Sid's cabin, most likely."

"Oh."

Holley scanned the cafe. "Where's Axle?"

"In his cone."

"Oh, of course."

"You should probably get some sleep, too. It's pretty late."

"Let me know of any developments you happen to discover. I'll be waiting."

"Good to know."

Holley nodded and drove back toward Siddeley.

CARS

Finn awoke from another fitful episode of sleep, wondering not for the first time why he was having such trouble sleeping. It wasn't yet ten thirty, but he felt like he'd been fighting this for nearly an eternity.

Finally, he drove down Siddeley's ramp to the outside world and turned onto Route Sixty-Six. Radiator Springs was asleep and, save only a few lights, completely dark. He turned to the left, toward the Wheel Well Motel and Restaurant. The road was as quiet as the town, and he unconsciously glanced to his right. The absence of the familiar lights of CHROME USA unsettled him slightly, and he felt even more exposed in the desert. Still, he drove on, using the cover of his headlights to scan for approaching cars.

The desert was just as empty as it seemed, which made him more nervous. He closed his eyes and shook his hood slightly. Lack of sleep and agent's paranoia, he told himself, letting out a sigh. The world was still dark and empty, the only sound being his engine as he drove down the road, not entirely sure where he was going.

He slowed and turned into a lookout point, facing the cliff and the desert beyond. The light of the crescent moon gave the buttes below a distinctive silver glow that illuminated every distinct shade of the rocks. Finn took a picture of the scene and exhaled softly.

Finally, his eyelids began to droop slightly, so he turned and drove back to Radiator Springs. He pulled into the Cozy Cone and knocked on the door to Boost's cone. After a moment, the half-asleep tuner answered with a groggy, "What?"

"Have you opened the package yet?"

"No."

"Good."

"Why do you wanna know, anyway, and why at eleven at night?"

"I just got around to it. You'd be surprised how time-consuming just listening to tourists talk can be."

"Whatever. Let me sleep."

"Alright, I will." Finn backed up, and Boost shut the door. Much as the Aston Martin wanted to mutter something under his breath, he couldn't think of anything that would suit the situation.

He drove into Siddeley's cabin and settled into his bed, his eyes closing and sleep, for once, finding him easily.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Axle rose before the sun and drove into Ramone's body shop, where Electro slept in the main room. "Hey, man," he said. "Wake up." He shook Electro awake, and when the car finally did wake up, Axle said, "Dude, maybe you should think about a color other than pink."

"Yeah, probably," Electro replied. "Where do I go for that?"

"Nowhere, really. Ramone does paint jobs, too."

"Oh, good. And thank the Manufacturer you're here. Listen to me, Axle. Some really, really bad people want me dead, and I was hoping you could help me hide."

"Talk about a game-changer. Okay, Electro, why the hell would someone want you dead?"

"Why did Axlerod discredit his own race?"

"To promote Big Oil."

"Exactly. Axlerod and his colleagues see me as a threat, so they want me out of the way. Got any ideas where I can hide?"

"Not exactly, but I know who does. Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. Go-to cars for stuff like this."

"Thanks."

Axle glanced around. "And if you need help with anythin', you come talk to me, okay?"

"You betcha."

"Good."

"You're up early," Ramone said as he drove into the shop. "Heck, I'm amazed you're up at all."

"Well, I am. You do some nice work," Electro replied.

"Thanks, man. And I'd consider a color other than pink."

"Yeah, I was told you could hook me up."

"Pick a color scheme, and sit back and let me do the painting."

"Okay, cool."

"Guess I should leave you to your work," Axle said, moving to drive out of the shop.

"Hey, Axle, wait," Electro said.

"Yeah?"

"Where you goin'?"

"Down the street to Flo's for breakfast. Want somethin'?"

"Nah. Just askin'."

Axle nodded. "Okay." He drove out of the shop, and Ramone turned to his color palette.

"Let's start with the basics. Pick a color, any color."

CARS

Holley found herself awake earlier than usual, and when she drove out to Flo's, she found Axle and Mater, both wide awake. Mater rushed over to her with his usual loud greeting, and she laughed. "Good morning, Mater," she replied. "You're up early."

"Never know when someone needs a tow," Mater said.

"That's a good way to look at things. So I take it Electro is in good hands?"

"Yep. Ramone's one of the best, next to Doc, a course." Mater's tone darkened slightly, just enough for Holley to notice. After a moment, however, he recovered his usual cheer. "So, whaddawe do today?"

"You pick."

CARS

Axle drove into Ramone's body shop to find that Electro had gone from hot pink to a basic black design with soft blue flames reaching across the sides to his rear bumper. "Nice look," Axle said. "Lookin' like a real tuner there."

"Think they'll notice?" Electro asked.

"Doubt it. If they're looking for pink, you're far from it."

"Thanks for talkin' to me."

"No problem." Axle glanced around the body shop, but Ramone was nowhere to be seen. "Up for a drive?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good. We gotta move fast so you're not in too much danger in transit, okay?" Electro nodded, rolling off the platform. Axle looked around again. "C'mon, this way." They drove out of the body shop and out of town. Electro looked around almost constantly, something that almost completely arrested Axle's attention. "You need to relax. Finn and Holley are good cars," he said.

"But the others aren't."

"Will you cool it? Nobody's-" A dust cloud appeared in his mirrors, behind and slightly to the right of Electro. "Keep driving, and don't stop until you see a giant silver plane, and even then, get inside before you think about taking a breather. Tell Siddeley Axle sent you."

"Siddeley's the plane, right?"

"Yes, now go." Axle pulled a U-turn, drifting slightly to the left and pulling out of the turn only once Electro drove past him. He drove back onto the road to face the car approaching. The car drove onto the pavement, and the dust cloud disappeared. "Okay, whoever you are, let's see what you want," Axle muttered, narrowing his eyes. The car seemed slightly surprised to see him and nearly skidded to a stop less than ten feet in front of Axle. The whisps of smoke from the black Aston Martin's braking job drifted up to the sky in tense silence.

"Who are you?" the Aston Martin asked.

"You a buddy of Finn's? You sure look like him," Axle replied.

"Where is that car?"

"What car? The one you're supposed to be on a date with? I'm starting to see why somebody would run away from you."

"Don't get smart with me."

"Or what?" The Aston Martin produced two guns, one out of each of his front hubcaps. Axle gave him a once-over and scanned the desert in his peripheral vision. Okay, Torque, care to help a brother out? he thought, some part of him thinking of how insane he was being for trying to talk to his dead brother. The Aston Martin raised his eyebrows as if testing Axle, waiting for him to respond. "You think a gun's gonna back you up?" Axle asked. "You even know how to fight without one?"

"What do you hope to gain by this?"

"Whadda you hope to gain by shootin' people?"

The Aston Martin paused. "You're afraid, aren't you? You're not armed, so you think you're entering a losing battle."

"What if you're wrong? What if I am armed but too smart to pull my gun?"

"You'd enter a gunfight without pulling a gun?"

"Hell, why not?"

"You'd have to be suicidal to do that."

"Or really, really good."

"You're cocky as hell, you know that?"

Axle shrugged, but he didn't take his eyes off of the Aston Martin. "Runs in the family, I guess," Axle said.

"What family? You live alone and have no life outside of your job as a mechanic for delinquent road hazards."

"Do you really want me to start cussin' you out?"

"That's the only thing you can do right now." Axle's adversary cocked his guns.

Okay, Torque, I'm getting desperate and I'm talking to a ghost, Axle thought. A little help wouldn't hurt.

"Everything alright out here?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Axle and the black Aston Martin turned to face the blue-silver Aston Martin who approached them. Axle found himself, for reasons he couldn't fully understand, hiding his disappointment. Finn looked from Axle to the Aston Martin and back again. "Did I interrupt a stand-off?" he asked. "If I did, I could leave."

"No, wait," Axle said. "You're not interrupting anything."

"Oh, good." Finn looked over at the black Aston Martin. "Who's this?"

"No idea." Axle glanced at the Aston Martin. "Maybe we should go."

"Perhaps we should."

Finn and Axle turned away from the black Aston Martin, and Axle could hear the car return his guns to their place. "Armed and dangerous," he whispered to Finn.

"And armed with a multitude of secrets," Finn replied, "but I've got a VIN number."

"That's good, right?"

"Better than I expected. It's something to run through the system to see if we can learn anything more about him."

"Electro okay?"

"Perfectly safe in Siddeley's cabin, I assure you."

Axle's chassis sagged in relief. "Good," he breathed. "He keeps sayin' cars want him dead, bad cars. Cars like Axlerod."

Finn looked more closely at the muscle car. "You don't say."

"Ask him."

"He seems much too jittery to give us a coherent answer, so as of now I'll take your word for it."

Axle chuckled. "Heck, I'm not sure if he's right or crazy, so I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Will I have a choice?"

"Depends. You can strand him somewhere in Detroit and go on about your business like we never dropped by."

"I could."

"So why don't you?"

"Just because I could doesn't mean I should."

Axle nodded, and the two cars drove on toward Siddeley in silence. Axle followed Finn up the ramp into the cabin, where Electro huddled in the corner, mumbling to himself. "I don't believe it," he whispered. "The kid finally cracked."

"I managed to catch part of your conversation with this Aston Martin," Finn said as he drove over to the computer. "You sounded an awful lot like your brother, or what I've heard of him."

"Lemme guess, you've got some sort of audio files of him."

"Yes, we do. We have records of all of our agents."

Axle nodded in understanding and drove over to Electro. "Thank the Manufacturer," Electro rasped. "Who was that car?"

"We're trying to find that out." Axle looked over his fender at Finn, who was busy studying the records on the computer screen. "Got somethin'?" he asked.

"His name's Alan deCarteran," Finn replied. "He was recruited by Chief Montgomery, a superior of mine, but I'm hardpressed to fathom why."

"He's bad," Electro whispered. "He's one of the bad ones."

"We'll see about that, but we're not sure yet," Axle replied. "Just stay here, okay?" Axle backed up a few feet and turned so that he faced the computer.

"The only thing we have here is the basic set of papers," Finn said.

"So check Montgomery out."

Finn gave Axle a strange look, but he entered the query into the search engine anyway. He clicked on an entry, and they both studied it closely. "Spy Car Chief of CHROME Britain, a reclusive car with a tendency toward keeping his secrets."

"Reclusive leader, huh?" Axle asked. "Torque never liked those freaks, and I'm starting to think that had some foundation."

"Rod Redline was a top-notch American spy. You don't get to that position through luck."

"I always thought that was paranoia talkin', but one car's crazy is another man's brilliant, I guess."

"I can see that."

Axle glanced back at Electro, whose eyse were fixated on the image of the silver blue-eyed Scion tC on the screen. Axle studied the car's face, which seemed to him like something out of a horror movie, displayed by the villain when he was pretending to be a good guy while secretly awaiting the opportunity to gut the unwitting victim alive.

Maybe there was something to Electro's theory after all, he thought. "I don't like the looks of this character," Axle said after a moment. "Can't believe you work for him."

"I didn't have a choice then."

"Do you now?"

Finn looked at Axle again. "Are you suggesting I go rogue?"

Axle shrugged. "If your chief is a bad guy, is it worth it to work for him?"

Finn paused, rolling back slightly. He studied Montgomery more closely, his eyes narrowing. "That's a very good question," he whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Holley drove up to the diner and pulled up next to Finn. "What's new?" she asked.

"Apparently Electro's gone insane, or cracked under the stress," Finn replied. "He claims he's being pursued by bad cars who want him dead, and among them is a black Aston Martin our records identify as Alan deCarteran."

"deCarteran?"

"Ring any bells? Our records are sparse."

"I think I've heard the name before, or seen a car matching the description." After a moment, turned her screen on and began browsing records. "Of course," she said. "At the Academy. He was in the same year I was, but he wasn't, oh, how do I put this? He wasn't known for his outstanding moral character. He was under a different name then." She closed the screen. "I believe it was Jackson Dalloway."

"Dalloway? deCarteran is Dalloway?"

"I take it you've heard of him?"

"The horror stories circulated throughout CHROME Britain for years after his expulsion."

"But if he's on our records, he must be working in some way for Chief Montgomery."

"Under his new name, and perhaps a refashioned personality, as there aren't any horror stories of Alan deCarteran specifically. He might've gone through the Academy twice, but he made sure no one would be the wiser. Oh, he's a sneaky bugger, a sneaky one indeed."

"But what could he want?"

"It doesn't matter what he wants, Holley. What matters what Montgomery wants."

"But how do we investigate the chief without being investigated ourselves?"

A knowing light flashed in Finn's eyes, and he said, "I know a way." With that, he drove off toward the Cozy Cone.

CARS

Ice was startled awake by the knock on the door, but he answered nonetheless. "Yeah?"

"I'd try to engage you in a conversation about how some Volkswagens lack radiators, but I think either way, you're an ideal car for the job I have for you," Finn replied.

"Why?"

"Your cover is a tuner who works a variety of odd jobs, correct?"

"Yeah."

"How would you like to take a 'job' from me, a friend of Starr's rich uncle?"

"To keep my cover, I'll have to be paid."

"Well, to negotiate that, I'll need to tell you your mission."

"Okay, fair enough. Whaddaya need me to do?"

"I need you to investigate Chief Montgomery."

"Too risky for you Brits?"

"Yes, it is."

Ice bit his bumper and after a pause said, "Okay, I'm in. Now, let's talk price."

Finn smiled. "Give me a number, Ice, P.I."

CARS

Holley felt her eyes widen slightly as Finn drove out of the Cozy Cone toward the diner where she waited. "Did you get him to go along with it?" she asked when he pulled up.

"I did," Finn replied. "For a price, which I know for a fact I can cover."

"Good. When does he leave?" She spotted the yellow tuner driving out of the Cozy Cone and down Route Sixty-Six on his way out of Radiator Springs. "Oh."

Finn chuckled and shook his hood. When he recovered himself, he said, "Our task now is to look after Electro."

"Roger that."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

As tourists and most of the residents settled in for the night, Axle, Ramone, Flo, Lightning, and Mater idled in something of a circle at the V8 Cafe. "So, where's your girlfriend?" Axle asked, looking at Mater.

"She's watchin that new car for the night," Mater replied. "She's worried about him."

"Is he crazy?" Lightning asked.

"That's what Finn and Holley are worried about," Axle replied. "He's wiggin' out, and it's pretty freaky to watch."

"Does he need gas?" Flo asked.

"He's electric."

"You sure?" Mater asked.

"The guy never needed to stop for gas. Ever."

"And there's no way he could run on the stuff," Ramone added. "I dunno about Axle, but I worked on him myself."

"Just checkin'," Mater said. "Don' need another Axlerod runnin' around."

"True that," Lightning said, giving his friend a high tire.

"You hear about him?" Mater asked Axle.

"Yeah. He was on that two-hour special of Tycoons last week. He was so weird. I mean, why would you fake being electric and discredit your own creation?"

"Well, you see, we're all environmentally conscious and weanin' ourselves off gas and what-not."

"Yeah."

"When we do that, the cars that own them big oil reserves are gonna lose money."

"So sell your stock, or find something else, anything but killing racecars."

"Yeah, why did Axlerod do what he did?" Lightning asked.

Mater paused. "Dad gum. That's a good question."

For some reason, Axle's mind flashed on the image of the sleek silver blue-eyed Scion tC the British cars identified as Chief Montgomery. "What if he was working for someone?" he asked. "I mean, what if he was hired to distract from something else?" The other four cars looked at him in uncertain silence. "Torque told me that usually if you can't understand something, then you didn't look hard enough for the whole story." Axle chuckled softly and shook his hood slightly. "He told me that quite a lot, actually."

"So, Axlerod's workin' for somebody?" Mater asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's the theory, which continues with the hypothesis that he was trying to distract us while someone behind the scenes worked on something bigger."

"Bigger?" Lightning asked.

Axle nodded. "Bigger."

Flo and Ramone looked at each other and then the other three. "So, what do we do?" Ramone asked.

Axle shrugged. "Dunno yet."

Flo looked around nervously. "I dunno about you fellas, but I gotta get to bed. Got an early day tomorrow." She drove into the cafe. Ramone fidgeted slightly and retreated to his body shop as if to avoid an awkward silence.

"Was it something we said?" Mater asked.

"Probably. Folks like them don't want to panic," Axle replied. "I probably talked a little too much."

"So, accordin' to this theory of yours, who's Axlerod supposed to be workin' for?"

"The only suspect right now is a car called Chief Montgomery. Ring any bells?" Lightning and Mater exchanged a look and shook their hoods. "Had to check, 'cause the guy's a recluse. Had to see if anyone knew anything."

"I can respect that," Mater said.

"And don't think I can't," Lightning added. He yawned. "Wow, it's later than I thought. Axle, you sleep on this, and Mater, you sleep on it, too. If you come up with anything, please tell me."

"Don't let anyone else know," Axle said. "I don't want folks around here to panic, and if those two," he gestured to the diner and body shop, "are any indication, they don't want to, either."

"My lips are sealed."

"Mine, too," Mater added.

"Great. Night, you two."

"Night."

"Night," Lightning said.

Axle watched as the race car and the tow truck drove to the Cozy Cone and his shack, respectively, and studied the overhead lights for a moment. They were the only lights in town; the businesses' neon had been switched off in preparation for the night.

A shadow flickered at the edge of his peripheral vision, and he turned toward it, switching on his brights. His eyes widened as the lights fell on a familiar form, the black Aston Martin from the confrintation earlier that day. The car shot forward, and before Axle fully understood what was going on, he was shoved back into a pillar. He felt his rear bumper buckle, but when the second the car pulled away, he shot to the side. "I thought you British cars had more class," he said.

"Class hasn't gotten me anywhere," Alan deCarteran replied, an edge of annoyance in his voice. He pushed Axle back again, into a wall. When deCarteran backed up, Axle shot forward and forced him across the street into the wall opposite.

"Tell me what you want," Axle hissed, slamming into deCarteran again.

"The location of that car you've been protecting," deCarteran replied, his strained voice betraying the fact that he felt Axle's strikes.

"Not gonna happen." Axle slammed into the Aston Martin again. "Get lost."

"Not without your friend."

"I said get lost," the muscle car hissed through gritted teeth.

deCarteran revved his engine and squirmed out of Axle's grip. Axle lurched forward slightly as deCarteran freed himself and turned to face the Aston Martin. "Tell me where he is."

"You gonna pull your guns on me again?" deCarteran did, indeed, pull and cock his guns. "You rely on those things too much." deCarteran fired shots, one grazing Axle's bumper as he dodged. "Holy Ford, how bad do you want your tires on that car?"

"Let me do my job, or you'll see how badly I want to get to that car."

"Sorry, not gonna happen. The guy thinks you're out to kill him, and I've had enough of that business to last me several battery lifetimes."

"What is going on here," Sheriff asked, pulling up and flashing his lights.

"Excuse me, Officer," deCarteran said, tucking his guns away. "I have a little business to take care of, but it seems fate is against me."

"Whatever it is, can ya take care of it in the morning? It's late, and us normal cars need sleep."

"Thank you, Officer," Axle said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll get to my cone, get some rest, and get fixed up in the morning." He drove off toward the Cozy Cone.

Wordlessly, deCarteran drove out of town, watched with narrow eyes by Sheriff, who ultimately decided to return to his post.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Ice tipped the crab boat that brought him across the Atlantic, flashed his official identification to the British Customs officers for the first time in over two years, and made his way through the streets of the harbor town. Finn told him to look for Chief Montgomery, a well-known recluse, but Ice loved a challenge.

He drove out of the town and set his sights on London, his mind working through a plan and trying to solidify it. The first step entailed record-browsing and asking around, of course, but outside of contacting Finn, he didn't know where to go from there, if it was possible to do so. He took a deep breath and looked up at the road signs to get his beaerings. A few hours' drive would get him where he needed to be.

A few cars on the road gave him strange looks, but he didn't pay much attention. None of them looked like they knew anything, anyway.

A few hours after leaving the harbor town, true to his estimate, he found himself checking into a hotel and striking up some conversation with other patrons at the hotel's bar. "Who's that guy?" he asked the Toyota Camri next to him as a silver Scion tC rolled into the bar and scanned the scene.

"Name's Daniel Montgomery," the Camri replied in a thick accent. "Haven't seen 'im in months."

"Montgomery?"

"Aye. Sound familmar?"

"Yeah."

"Should. That bloke's a parts dealer."

"Parts dealer?"

"That's if you believe the rumors."

Ice settled onto his chassis in relief. "Still, it's a strange profession for a car to be in. Kinda macabre."

The Camri shrugged and turned toward the Scion, who approached them with his gaze fixed on Ice. "Maybe I should go," the Camri said, moving to leave.

"Please. Remain where you are," Montgomery said in an icy voice. The Camri scooted back into his seat.

As Montgomery ordered a drink, Ice used the opportunity to get a better look at him. The Scion tC looked like he was straight out of a psychothriller or spy movie, which struck Ice as ironic, considering this guy was the British spy chief. However, something about his appearance really put Ice off. "What's an American modified car doing in England?" Montgomery asked, turning too slowly toward Ice for the latter's comfort.

"I've got a job to do," Ice replied, struggling to keep his voice even.

"What sort of a job?"

"Some car hired me to find his daughter, and the talk is that this is about where she disappeared."

"You don't say. How were you paid?"

"Cash." This line of questioning is pretty weird, Ice thought. "Why do you care so much?"

"Call me too curious for my own good," Montgomery replied with a smirk. Ice surpressed the shudder that threatened to completely rock his entire frame. "I'm especially curious about Americans who find themselves here, regardless of the reason."

"You asked your questions, so now I want to ask you a few."

"By all means."

"You hear the rumors about you?"

Montgomery closed his eyes, shook his hood, and chuckled. Ice surpressed another shudder. "Yes, I've heard the rumors, but the truth is stranger than fiction." The Scion tC's tone was darker as he spoke the last half of the sentence, and he drove out of the bar without touching his drink.

CARS

Holley glanced at Electro to make sure he was still at least huddled in the corner, but he still looked like a half-crazed car who feared for his life. A beep drew her attention to the computer, and she pressed a button.

"Finn, it's Ice," the voice on the other end of the transmission said frantically.

"And this is Holley," she replied. "Anyway, talk."

"Okay, look, and record this." She pressed another button, and a red dot flashed in the corner. "Montgomery's first name is Daniel, and he asked a hell of a lot about me, mainly what I was doing there. I lied, of course, but he's too curious for my own good. There's some rumor floating around that he's a parts dealer, and when I asked him about it, he said he heard the rumors, but the truth is stranger than fiction. Exact words."

"The truth is stranger than fiction?"

"Exactly what he said. Isn't that weird?"

"Very."

"You've found Montgomery already? Where?"

"In the bar at the hotel where I'm staying. That guy scares me, really bad. Looks like he's straight out of a psychothriller, and it's freakish. He looks a hell of a lot like he wants to kill me. I dunno how long I can stay here."

"Stick it out as long as you can."

"I'll have to, but get to Finn, and make sure you play this for him."

"I will."

"How's Electro?"

"He claims Alan deCarteran and a few others are out to kill him."

"If deCarteran's working for Montgomery, I'd buy that."

"Be careful, Richard."

"I will. Tell Finn."

"I will, as soon as possible."

"Stay safe."

"Godspeed."

The line went dead, and Holley pressed the 'record' button again, turning it off. She drove across the cabin and knocked on a small door. Finn groaned and drove out of the room, "Do we need to leave?" he asked.

"I have something for you to listen to. Come here." She led him across the cabin and played the recently-made recording. His eyes widened as it played on, and they darted to Electro at the mention of his name. Electro crept back into the corner even further, though it didn't seem possible to either of the two spy cars.

The recording ended, and Finn looked over at Holley. "You get some rest," he said. "I'll take over." She nodded and drove to her room.

CARS

Axle awoke to the strange feeling that someone was watching him, and he began to swear mentally that if it was deCarteran again, somebody was going to end up a compressed cube, and it wouldn't be him. He drove to the window and pulled at the drawstring to pull up the blinds. However, try as he might, he couldn't find anyone waiting for him out the window. Then he drove over to the door, opened it, and scanned the surrounding area. Again, completely devoid of other cars, save the form of Sally doing work behind the front desk in the lobby.

He closed the door and rolled back into bed. Okay, Axle, maybe you're being too paranoid, he thought. Just relax and try to get some more sleep.

But sleep refused to come. Something was wrong, and he was one hundred percent positive of it. He drove out of his cone and down the road to where Siddeley was parked, wide awake. "Hello," the plane said.

"Hey," Axle replied. "Any word on Electro?"

"Still inside, freaking out, but not raving madly anymore."

"Good. Just have to be sure."

"Your instincts are kicking in, I see."

"Am I that obvious?"

"That or I'm that good."

"Thanks, though."

"No problem, none at all."

Axle nodded. "You know what time it is?"

"Around five thirty."

"Holy Ford, I am up early."

"Indeed, you are," a familiar voice said from behind him. Axle whipped around and backed up a couple feet, finding himself staring right at the black Aston Martin known as Alan deCarteran. Holy shit, I was being followed, Axle thought. A faint alarm sounded from within Siddeley's cabin, but deCarteran displayed no sign of hearing it.

"I get it. You think I'm gonna get you in there," Axle said. "You think after last night I'm just gonna give you what you want. Well, guess what, pal. I'm from Detroit, I'm a Redline, and I ain't givin' up that easy."

"And you think I will?" deCarteran asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure you will much sooner than me."

"And why's that?"

"Why else? All you care about is getting what you want, and if you realize you won't get it, then you'll skip town."

"You forget that I am willing to kill you to get what I want, and I won't stop here."

"Stand down, deCarteran," Finn said, revealing and cocking a pair of machine guns in his side vents. He fired a few warning shots to the space between deCarteran and Axle, and deCarteran gave Finn a harsh look.

"You've won this round, but I'll be back for that car," deCarteran said, turning and driving away.

"I'd like to see you try, coward," Axle called after him. He turned to Finn and added, "We both need to skip town. We can only talk him down for so long, and if you haven't heard about last night's fight, you will, trust me."

"Where are you going to go?"

"Not Detroit, that's for sure, and definitely not L.A. Maybe an east coast harbor town."

"Somewhere where you can't easily be recognized?"

"Somewhere where nobody knows me."

"Either way. You should go. I have an errand to run and then I'll leave."

"Whatever you say."

Finn nodded and turned toward Radiator Springs. Axle heard Siddely start his engine and prepare for takeoff, and then he drove in the opposite direction Finn had taken.

CARS

"Yeah?" Boost asked when he answered the tapping on the door of his cone.

"Find the others," Finn said, "and make sure they get here as soon as possible."

"What's goin' on?"

"Electro's location has been discovered by the enemy, and transport is necessary."

"Uh, okay."

"Find your friends."

Boost nodded and drove along the curve to the next three cones, tapping on each in succession and telling the tuner inside to follow him. The four doubled back to Boost's cone and filed inside, where Finn sat next to the box.

"What is that thing?" Snot Rod asked.

"What's he doing here?" Wingo asked, ignoring Snot Rod's question.

"This package will explain everything," Finn said. "In the event that I don't return, which is more likely than you should allow yourselves to believe, I want you to open this package. All four of you must be present."

"Does it self-destruct?" DJ asked.

"No. It only plays the message once, so it is imperative not only that you all hear it, but that you all remember it and understand it. Am I clear?" After a chorus of yeses, he continued. "Pay close attention to what you are told when you open it, because odds are I might not return, but do not open it until you either hear from me or recieve word from either Holley, Siddeley, or Ice that I have been taken."

"Got it," the four said in unison.

"Perfect. I hope this isn't the last time I see you all, but be prepared nonetheless. Now, I must be off." The tuners parted, and Finn drove out of the cone without another word, leaving them to stare at the box in silent confusion.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Where are we going?" Electro asked.

"To a safe house," Finn replied. "But it has to be an unofficial one, especially of our theory is correct."

Holley turned away from the computer, toward Finn. "What about our contact?" she asked.

"I'll meet him up after we drop you two off."

"Us two? Why?"

"Because right now, I can only trust you, Richard, and a few others, Mater included. This situation is too sticky to trust anyone else, or leave him unsupervised."

"It was deCarteran, wasn't it?"

"Yes, and I have a feeling deCarteran isn't as willing to kill as he's trying to have us believe."

"What do we do?"

"Run a records search on Jackson Dalloway. May as well learn what we can before we land."

Holley did, scanning the screen as results appeared. "We have entrance records, expulsion records, transcripts, police reports, and, oh, this is interesting. He appears to have officially changed his name and signed up for the academy using a false age."

"Older or younger than he actually was?"

"Older."

"Why?"

"Not a clue."

"Any record on his name before he changed it?"

"Alan deCarteran, according to this."

"Curiorser and curiouser, Finn said, forgetting proper English for a moment," the Aston Martin muttered. "Who were his parents?"

Holley ran another search and then said, "No clue. He was adopted out of the foster system and ran away before the ink could dry. Several years later, he chooses hte last name deCarteran for himself, crafts the alias Jackson Dalloway, also for himself, switches back and forth between the two, and was adopted again under his original name."

"By whom?"

"Again, he ran away before the ink dried, changed his name, falsified his age, and signed up for the academy."

"I can see the logic behind that. Someone that detatched would make a good field agent."

"That seems to be about it, though, because he obviously had trouble the first time around and had to try again under his other name."

"And yet, Montgomery employed him. The question is, why?"

"They're gonna kill me," Electro screamed.

"That's it. We have to get to the bottom of this," Holley said.

Finn approached Electro and asked, "Why do you keep saying that?"

"It's true. They're gonna kill me, and they're gonna put me through the chop shop."

"Do they want something?" Electro lapsed into silence, his wide, terrified eyes staring into space. Finn returned his attention to Holley and said, "Give him some time before you try to get answers out of him. We want him to feel safe first."

"Roger that," Holley replied with a brief nod.

"We're on approach," Siddeley said over the intercom.

"Excellent. Holley, if anything happens, your first goal is to get the both of you out alive." She gave another curt nod. "And don't let Montgomery talk to you too much, if at all. If I'm right, we're working against him now."

She gave him a strange look, but she said nothing. "Prepare for landing," Siddeley said. Finn drove into his chair, and the plane descended.

CARS

"Alright, Finn, we're here," Holley said over the communication system.

"Excellent," Finn replied. "Stay in contact, and be careful."

"Right-o."

Finn turned a corner, switching his communicator off, and drove toward a hotel. He approached the receptionist and said, "Excuse me, I'm looking for Richard Daniels."

"Oh, yes," she said. "One moment, please." After a brief conversation with someone on the phone, she added, "Room four fifteen."

"Thank you." He drove down the hall and into the elevator, pressing a button. When the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, he drove down the hall to Room four fifteen. He tapped on the door in a specific manner, and Ice answered with a sigh of relief.

"Thank the Manufacturer," Ice said, rolling to the side to allow Finn to enter.

"What happened?" Finn asked, turning toward the yellow tuner.

"Montgomery."

"Did you talk to him again?"

"No, but I can't get him out of my head, and I'm so glad you're here. I'm afraid I'll open the door and he'll appear out of nowhere and try to kill me."

"I hope not."

"How's Electro?"

"Under Holley's watch in an unofficial safe house."

"He'll be okay there. It's a waiting game now."

The soft hum of an engine could be heard in the hall, approaching the door. "Not for long," Finn replied, arming himself for battle.

Someone tapped on the door.

CARS

Axle drove with no sense of direction or time. He wanted to go somewhere, have a direction and purpose, but it failed him. His thoughts were elsewhere, specifically the time he'd made a similar aimless drive.

Torque's words echoed through his mind. "What the hell did you do? I love you, I spend my life protecting you, and you get me drunk so I'll talk?" Axle closed his eyes, trying to force the words to the back of his mind, but the entire memory flooded his mind.

He'd driven out in the middle of Torque's rant, down a random road, in a random direction, as fast as he could and not caring if he got caught. He remembered the world having a nonexistent quality to it, as if he were dreaming. Except he somehow knew he wasn't. He was having a nightmare.

That argument, over the night before, when Axle's curiosity got the best of him, was the last time Axle saw Torque alive.

Axle pulled over and settled onto his chassis, his eyes closing. Tears threatened to escape him, but he fought them as hard as he could. He felt something inside of him collapse, forcing air out of him and breaking his will for the fight he was trying to keep up. "Oh, Ford, what did I do," he whispered, shaking his hood. Tears streamed from his eyes down to his fenders, where they hovered momentarily before falling to the dirt beneath him.

He thought he heard a V8 engine in the distance, but a look in both directions revealed that the road was deserted as far as the eye could see. "Okay, Axle, you need to get a hold of yourself. First you talk to ghosts and now this?" he demanded of himself. "You've gotta figure this out or else you'll go insane." But he couldn't bring himself to drive. The sound of the engine returned. "Yep, it's official. Axle, you are now jets-in-the-belfry insane."

"And let me guess. I'm a hallucination," a painfully familiar voice said. Axle's eyes widened when his gaze met that of the speaker.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Housekeeping," a light British voice said from the other side of the door. Finn exhaled, hiding his weapons.

"Yeah?" Ice asked.

"I'll be back."

"That was strange," Finn said when he was certain the car had driven out of earshot.

"She did that yesterday, too," Ice replied.

"Does this seem unusual to you?"

"Does it seem unusual? Hell yeah, but I can't go stalking everybody just because only one car is out to kill me or whatever. Look, there's only so much a spy can legally do."

"Be careful what you say. Walls have ears."

"Yeah, I know, but this is some hotel. For all anyone here knows, we're gay lovers." Finn's eyes widened and he inadvertantly drifted back a couple feet. Ice chuckled. "Gotcha there, didn't I?"

"This isn't funny, Richard. This situation is extremely dangerous. Montgomery could find us here, or anywhere."

"Maybe, maybe we'll get lucky."

"I'm not taking any chances. I didn't live this long doing that, and you've spent too much time deep undercover. That in itself is a chance, and you think you've gotten lucky and have't been caught yet. Richard, the tuner world has done some strange things to you."

"You have your opinions, Finn, but I can't think of a better idea than to stay here and think of something. I'm not gonna charge off into danger like a rookie, and you know it."

Finn sighed. "The paranoia is getting to us," he whispered, "but something must be done. You're right; it would be foolish to rush in without a plan, but first, we need to assess our current situation. Tell me everything you know."

CARS

Axle stared at the semi-transparent blue muscle car, a million questions rushing around in his mind yet somehow managing to get lost on the way to his mouth. "Jesus Chrysler, I know I got blown up, but I didn't know I looked bad enough to gawk at," Torque said.

"Yep, I'm jet's-in-the-belfry, psycotic, lost-a-few-lugnuts insane," Axle managed.

"You need to shut your brain off, bro." Torque drove across the road, passing easily through a car that appeared to not have noticed him at all. "Hell, I'm amazed you're as surprised as you are."

"What are you...? The last time I saw you alive... Death by torture..."

"In order. What am I doing here? Watchin' out for you. The last time you saw me alive, we were arguing, and then I was called in, and yes, I was turtured and killed." He smirked dryly. "Funny thing about dyin'. Last thing you think aboutis the people you're never gonna see again, or think you're never gonna see again."

Torque turned to stare out into the plain, and Axle followed his gaze. "I'm sorry about what happened," Axle whispered.

"Axle, I'd have done the exact same thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't have yelled at you, but I panicked. I thought you sold my secrets to Russia or something while I was hung over."

"I just wanted to know where you went all the time. Of course, now I realize what a mistake it was, but you know kids."

"Especially psycho ones like us."

After a short, shared chuckling fit, Axle asked, "So, if you're a ghost, what's your unfinished business?"

"Axlerod. What else?"

"What about him?"

"Ten bucks says he's working for someone, just based on the sheer complexity of the scheme, but I can't figure out who it would be."

"Maybe you should haunt Finn and Holley for a while. They've got htis theory that their chief is behind it, whatever it is."

"Montgomery?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

Axle shrugged. "The Manufacturer knows."

"Well, we just have to find out." Torque lowered his voice. "I'll be watchin', bro." Axle opened his mouth to ask his brother to stay with him, but Torque disappeared before the first syllable could cross Axle's bumper. He blinked a few times in confusion, idling on the side of the road and staring into space like the crazed car he most likely was.

CARS

"You seem more relaxed," Holley said, turning to look at Electro as he rolled into the safe house's kitchen.

"Well, this place is safe, right?" Electro replied.

"In theory. We could still be found, of course, but as far as I know, this place is reasonably secure."

"They'll find us?"

"Very possibly." Electro seemed on the edge of another panic attack, but he kept his cool. Holley turned to face him more fully. "Our theory is that perhaps deCarteran is working for Chief Montgomery. Does this sound right to you?"

He glanced to the corner and nodded curtly. "Are you gonna get him?"

"We're gonna try."

He nodded again. She looked toward the front door, biging her bumper softly. "What?" he asked.

"My radar says someone's coming," she replied. "Get to the guest room at the back."

He backed up slightly, and she pulled and cocked her guns before anyone was close enough to hear. She called up her mental radar screen, confirming her suspicions. "Get to the guest room," she said again, her tone sharpening. The soft hum of an engine could be heard outside the door, but Electro didn't budge. Holley began to cuss herself out for being naive, but as the sounds of the engine drew closer, she was filled with the sense that time was running out.

The door burst open, and smoke filled the safe house. The sound of one engine multiplied instantly into several engines, and Holley fired into the smoke almost randomly. "Run," she called, hoping Electro heard.

Finn had told her to make sure she and Electro got out alive. The sounds of the engines moved around her, and she repeated her order to Electro, who instead drifted closer to her. "Where are they?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter. We're leaving." They cut through the haze to the door and turned to the right. Twenty feet from the safe house, the haze cleared, and Holley glanced in her mirror at Electro. In the cloud behind him, she could see several sportscars in pursuit. "Go, get as far as you can, and whatever you do, don't stop." She turned toward the sportscars and opened fire. In her mirror, through her peripheral vision, she could see Electro speeding off.

The sportscars returned fire, and she drove backwards, relying on her mirrors fifty percent of the time and using the remainder of the time to focus on firing the sportscars. One of them fired a lucky shot, jamming one of her guns and almost forcing her to spin out of control. She used her momentum to turn herself around and sped off after Electro, but by then London had erupted into confusion and he had been lost.

"Holley," Siddeley said over the communication system. "I'm on approach. Get to an airstrip as fast as you can."

"Sid, what's going on?" Holley asked, struggling against the traffic. "Where's Finn?"

"Still in the hotel with Richard. We have to go, now."

"Shouldn't we wait for him?"

"It's pretty bad down there. We might not make it if we do."

"But how are he and Richard supposed to get out of London?"

"I have friends in this town."

Holley reached the commercial airport and gave her current address to Siddeley, who appeared in the sky overhead almost immediately, preparing to land, or at the very least drop his loading ramp. She set a course for him, simultaneously searching for Electro and Finn. Siddeley had been correct; Finn was in his hotel, but Electro was nowhere to be found.

Siddeley lowered the ramp and glided across the runway. Holley sped up, abandoned the pavement in favor of the ramp, and drove into the cabin. "Finn, Electro's been lost," she said over the communication system.

"Is that what all that ruckus is about?" Finn asked.

"Not sure, but he did get lost in it. He's out of range of my systems, or his signal's being scrambled somehow. If you can find him..."

"I'm going to have to. Everything's spiralling out of control."

"What about Richard?"

"I've alread been in contact with another plane, and I have his flight arranged."

"Good. I take it you're catching a separate flight?"

"I won't have much choice." A gunshot could be heard over the line. "I'll call you back, and Godspeed, Holley Shiftwell." He hung up before she could say anything in response.

"Where to?" Siddeley asked.

"Radiator Springs, if you would," Holley replied automatically.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Finn and Ice rushed out of the motel room, firing at a mob of sportscars that seemed to appear out of nowhere like the heads of a hydra. "Go, I'll cover for you," Finn said, cocking another gun and preparing to fire.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Ice replied.

"The worst they can do is kill me."

"That's pretty bad."

"Just go. Get out while you can, and see if you can find Electro."

"Okay."

Ice fought his way to the elevator, taking a final look at Finn as he was swarmed by cars. "You better be right," he said, pressing the button for the lobby.

CARS

As Ice drove out of the hotel, he studied the cars in the street. British security officers and unidentified sportscars were engaged in duels and shooting matches of nearly every sort. His system gave no indication that Electro was anywhere to be found, but that didn't mean it was true.

He studied the croud more closely, finally spotting a car who fought his way toward him. Once the car reached him, he said, "Thank the Manufacturer. Where's Finn?"

"Back in the hotel," Ice replied. "What's going on?"

"From what I can tell, these sportscars threatened the Queen or national security or something. I don't know."

"We've gotta get out of here. If we can catch a flight away from here, then we can figure out what to do."

"Okay."

Ice led Electro through the crowds and passed a gas station on the way to the nearest airport. Something struck the pump, and a brilliant fireball filled Ice's mirrors. He skidded to a stop and looked at the fireball, barely seeing Electro's form tumble over its roof several times before slamming into the street and sliding to a halt. "Oh, shit," he whispered, rushing over to where the charred car lay. From what he could tell, very few of Electro's parts were salvageable. He was completely gone.

Time slowed, and a dull hum filled his ears, drowning out the chaos. The cars were apparently a threat to British security, but was this something else engineered by Montgomery?

His thoughts stilled, and he turned away from the car, driving toward the airport.

CARS

Finn's eyes fluttered open. His engine pounded, and at first glance, it seemed as if he were hung over, but he didn't drink before he passed out. Of this he was positive.

Sedatives, he thought.

He studied his new, dimly lit surroundings in an effort to get his bearings. Three other cars could be seen in the room, partially illuminated by the solitary lightbulb overhead.

Zundapp rolled forward and said, "We were wondering when you would wake up, McMissile."

"Good morning to you, too, Professor," Finn replied. His gaze drifted to the other cars, and as his eyes adjusted, it became clear exactly who he was dealing with. Shorts and Alan deCarteran. "Where exactly are we?"

"That's a good question," Shorts said, rolling forward. deCarteran followed his lead. "All our crimes are different."

"Our...crimes?"

deCarteran gestured to Zundapp and said, "Weapons dealer." He gestured to Shorts. "Parts dealer." He gestured to both himself and Finn. "Traitor, rogue spy."

"So what's such a motley crew doing in one place?"

"Awaiting further orders," Zundapp said. "May as well sleep off the drugs while you still can."

Finn nodded. What choice did he have? he wondered when he considered his situation. He drove back into a corner and settled in.

CARS

Siddeley landed in the desert just outside of Radiator Springs, and Holley deplaned and drove into town. She fielded the usual greetings and made her way to the Cozy Cone, knocking on Boost's cone. When he answered, she said, "Get the others. It's time."

Within minutes, Boost had rounded up his three friends, and they gathered in his cone with Holley, who asked, "Where's that package?"

"He's not coming back?" Boost asked.

"Something's gone wrong."

Boost drove over to a corner and pushed a small brown parcel into the center of the cone. Holley pulled at the string binding it with her teeth and pulled the paper away, revealing a black cube. She tapped the box, and it popped open. A holographic image of Finn McMissile appeared. "Hello, gentlemen," the hologram said. "Welcome to Her Magesty's Secret Service."

CARS

Montgomery studied the screen in front of him. Finn had met his fellow prisoners, and the next morning, they would recieve their objective. They would have no choice but to meet it; this he would make perfectly clear. The time has come, and there was no turning back.

"Everything in its place," he said in a low voice, a sick smile forming on his bumper. "Everything in its place."


End file.
